![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fajrdrakoI watched this a week ago, but haven't got around to posting about it yet. And now... looking at my notes...
- I like the title. Very much. Best thing about the episode, probably.
- On the whole, didn't much like the episode. It reminded me very much of the Smallville episode "Heat", where Clark Kent had a sexy-seductive teacher who used her wiles (and her pheromone superpower) to trick Lex Luthor into marrying her, so she could kill him for his money. She didn't intend to eat him, but that's the main difference in the story. Clark, of course, saved him. Probably the Smallville writers stole from Buffy, but I don't think it's a new plot anyway.
As Smallville episodes go, "Heat" was redeemed by its slashiness. This episode of Buffy didn't have that to recommend it. - So what did it have? Lots of Xander - not my favourite character. I did like his dream at the beginning, where he cast himself as the hero saving and winning the girl. I think I liked dream-Xander better than real-Xander. He was at least more creative.
- Doctor Gregory was really, really nice. This made me certain he wouldn't survive the episode. He didn't.
- Actually, I think that was my main problem with the episode. It was very, very predictable. Xander's dream had to be a dream. Buffy's relationship with a really nice teacher who understands her has to be doomed. The too-sexy-to-be-true teacher has to be man-eater and since she's giving lessons about praying mantises, well, that's what she has to be. She has to prey on one of Buffy's friends, of course - I might enjoy it more if she preyed on Buffy, but that isn't likely here. So. Xander, the fall guy. And of course Buffy has to save him. If i Look over the show - were there any surprised? (Considers.) No.
- Good line. Buffy: "You mean, 'great' in a bad way?" Followed by:
Doctor Gregory: Imagine what you could accomplish if you actually did the...
Buffy: ...the homework thing. - Blayne looked like a red-shirt in Star Trek too. He was too annoying to survive unscathed.
- I really liked Angel here. The bit about his coat? Wonderful. Fork Guy was more interesting (if that's the right word) than Miss French. Maybe 'intriguing' is a better word.
- I liked it when Buffy and Willow called Xander "young" and "so terribly innocent".
- I like it that Giles calls Doctor Gregory "civilized".
- I liked Claw Guy being afraid of Miss French. Reminded me of the Weevil seeing Beth in the Torchwood episode "Sleeper".
- "Heal" was funny. I sitll find Mr. Flutey sinister, but amusing,
- Eating crickets. Ugh.
- Wonderful Giles moment: "Wasn't here, didn't see it, couldn't have stopped you."
- I like the stuff on Giles' desk.
- I like the hints of Buffy's attraction to Angel, and Xander's jealousy. "What kind of a girlie name is 'Angel', anyway?
All in all, this is another episode that was so silly and shallow that I'd have stopped watching if people weren't assuring me about how good it gets. I surprised myself by liking Angel this time round; Zander slipped in my estimation; Giles remains adorable and Willow is about the same.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 03:26 am (UTC)There was a certain amusement factor in his being the virgin sacrifice. But it was a thin joke.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 03:16 am (UTC)Keep watching :) It does improve...
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 03:27 am (UTC)No? Well - I can understand that!
It does improve...
I have faith.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 05:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 02:31 pm (UTC)Yes, that makes sense. I look forward to it - and I've no idea which way it'll go! I don't dislike Xander tremendously.... I just keep wishing he wasn't so silly, or that he'd get some successes to match his failures. I wish he weren't so self-conscious.
But he does have a lot of potential, and there's a certain charm to him - I really haven't made my mind up yet about Xander.
I'd be won over really quickly, I think, if he had a clever line that wasn't about himself.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 12:59 pm (UTC)And I'm realising how incredibly difficult it is to watch / think about these shows as if I didn't know everything that happens after. Huh.
I was going to invite you to a discussion board but I just reread our discuss on this episode and it's all "reminds me of" and "We know that coming up" and suchlike.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 02:33 pm (UTC)I didn't notice. What an interesting idea.
Older predator monster apparently falls for high school student and everyone else wonders why they can't see it's freaky?
That would fit perfectly with Buffy's editorial comments about Miss French - and Xander's comments about Angel.
I was going to invite you to a discussion board but I just reread our discuss on this episode and it's all "reminds me of" and "We know that coming up" and suchlike.
Yes - I've seen the problem. Any major discussion is going to involve knowing what happens later, and I'm not ready for spoilers on that scale yet. Maybe later!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 02:48 pm (UTC)One of my favorite Xander episodes is "The Pack" - it's essentially Red Kryptonite Xander, to use your Smallville association :) And I'm of an opinion that Clark should ALWAYS wear Red Kryptonite. Screw regular Clark. He's boring. Regular Xander I love, but I can't say I mind something different every now and again.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 04:33 pm (UTC)Really? I didn't get why from your other comments. I thought he did okay - he at least gets himself a weapon and tries to fight Ms Preying Mantis off (twice actually because he goes after her with the bug spray when she's knocked Buffy down), and he does apologise to Buffy for not listening.
I really liked Angel here.
Woohoo! We have progress!
I liked the line about "her fashion sense screams predator" "it's the shoulder pads".
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:17 pm (UTC)Yeah, he did okay. No need to make too big a deal of my mixed feelings about Xander. I don't much like the way he apologizes and I don't particularly want him to be more aggressive. I think I want him to think about himself less.
"It's the shoulder pads" - yes, I loved that one!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:42 pm (UTC)That's not really something I'd picked up on particularly, so he can't be like that all the time - um, unless I'm just oblivious to that aspect because of other stuff!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 08:36 am (UTC)But then, so is Buffy.
At least Spike is the name of a bigger, slightly cooler dog.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 12:35 pm (UTC)If we're talking poodle-love, then we're right back to Torchwood...
Spike is a good name in all ways.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 02:00 pm (UTC)"Three-pronged Scythian death spear, category six. Weapons cabinet, third shelf. You know, back in my days as a rogue demon hunter I once used that very spear to pin down what I thought was a small Rodentius demon - of course the poodle's owners weren't very happy."
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 04:54 pm (UTC)I hope it was Spike who said the above. I really, really do.
But don't tell me. I'll get there.
(More Buffy-watching with Beulah wil happen tonight.)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 05:29 pm (UTC)Cat says to point out to you that Buffy s4 needs to go with Angel s1 for the crossovers and better understanding.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 06:48 pm (UTC)Another boy? okay.... will I meet him soon?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 06:53 pm (UTC)Not at this rate.
But don't worry. You will love quite a lot of people.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 02:02 pm (UTC)"Um, I'm not sure you should say 'sex poodle' in your vows. "
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 04:05 pm (UTC)The other one's Angel.
I took off the speakers' names.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 04:27 pm (UTC)I'm enjoying that.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 04:31 pm (UTC)Actually my best pimpage worked through quotes. Slipped into a conversation where appropriate, and then credited to Joss. I got some souls taken that way. Souls like quotes.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 04:56 pm (UTC)This is the best argument for the notion that I have a soul that I've ever heard.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 06:47 pm (UTC)...
I'll get there.
Soul or no soul.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 06:54 pm (UTC)Cat: DOES SAME
no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-12 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 12:12 am (UTC)Amusing too - I got to the hunga munga and went "wait, didn't Buffy use one of those in S3?" scrolled a little further, and there she was, hunga munga in hand!
And here I thought they'd just made it up.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 01:56 am (UTC)Yes, really.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 06:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 04:03 pm (UTC)Oh. Wait. That's not a punishment, is it?
Well, you'll just have to endure it anyway.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 05:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-13 07:27 pm (UTC)